


Whispers In The Dark

by Asmadasa_Hatter



Category: The New Legends of Monkey (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28609971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asmadasa_Hatter/pseuds/Asmadasa_Hatter
Summary: "Forget about the scrolls. We need to kill Shadow Monkey." An extended Tripkey scene from Shadow Boxing.
Relationships: Monkey King & Sandy (The New Legends of Monkey), Monkey King & Tripitaka (The New Legends of Monkey), Monkey King/Tripitaka (The New Legends of Monkey), Pigsy & Sandy (The New Legends of Monkey)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	Whispers In The Dark

She could tell that something was wrong the moment he sat down. Monkey's usually excessive, smug and manic energy replaced by an uncharacteristically still and silent stoicism.

"Forget about the scrolls," He's quick to discount Gaxin's suggestion, his resolve seemingly absolute, "We need to kill Shadow Monkey."

"Did something happen?" Her brow furrows deeper when he remains, once again, silent on the matter. The trepidation she finds shining back within his burnt umber gaze instantly putting her on edge.

"What if the key to defeating Shadow Monkey is the Scroll of Creation?" Gaxin tries once more, "On its own, the Scroll of Immortality can be used to cheat death. The Scroll of Creation to create life. But if used in tandem, one could, in theory, raise the fallen gods."

Tripitaka seems less than convinced, dread steadily beginning to pool in her gut when she realises the weight of the Monkey King's gaze still lingers unblinking upon her. His expression seemingly loathed to leave her lest she disappear. Gaxin's words however immediately gain him an irritable scowl she only more than understands.

"Are we sure we wanna use sacred scrolls to raise an army of gods back from the dead?"

"We have to have a plan." Gaxin's retort borders on condescending. The Monkey King's lip curling in a sneer but it's Sandy who beats him to the punch.

"Your plans haven't exactly worked," She points out rather obviously, the god's gaze finding hers across the fire before it returns to the elder monk, "Tripitaka was right about the Shadow Scroll. She was right about Hagfish."

"The scholar taught us that there's a natural order to things." Tripitaka reminds Gaxin softly, trying as hard as she might not to get too caught up in the nostalgia of times long since passed and the father figure she's still yet to grieve.

"Our world is always correcting our equilibrium. Great good is balanced out by great evil."

Immediately Gaxin's expression shifts to contrition, "I'm sorry I underestimated you," He tells her softly, "I treated you like a servant girl, but you were trained by the scholar too."

Silence reigns between them for a time before he speaks again. "So, what now then?"

"Monkey?" Pigsy prompts around his mouthful when it becomes apparent no one's ready or willing to make the call. The great sage startling slightly at the sound of his name. His thoughts seemingly miles away and he takes a moment to drag himself back into the here and now. His resolve, however, is unwavering.

"If we don't kill Shadow Monkey, there'll be no world left to save."

Tripitaka wishes in that moment she possessed the ability to read his mind. Monkey's dark gaze solemn and his demeanor so unlike himself she swallows at the possible implication of just what it is he isn't saying. The long wait until the others are finally asleep doing nothing to quell the worry brewing inside her until finally, she can stand it no longer. Tripitaka eliciting a small, startled squeak from the Monkey King as she drops down onto the bed roll beside him and demands her answers.

"What happened?"

Seemingly recovered from his fright, he shoots her a look of irritation, "Never mind, it doesn't mat-"

"Like hell it doesn't," She hisses in objection, "Now don't lie to me again, Monkey King. I know you better than that."

He offers her a small self-deprecating smile and a huff of acknowledgment, "So you do."

"Then tell me what's wrong?"

"I-" He begins only to growl in frustration. His staff slamming into the ground beside him. His lips pressed into a thin line as if he'd very much lose the ability to answer her questions entirely.

"Don't make me use that crown against you, Monkey." Her free hand twitches at her side, "I don't want to, but I will if I think-"

He sneers at that, though there's no venom behind it, she knows. His face a mess of so many emotions she can barely put a name to them before he finally concedes.

"You're not safe, Trip." He replies lowly, "And it's all my fault."

"Safe from what?" Her brow furrows as she takes a glance around their camp, "Who would-"

"Oh, who do you think?" He gapes rather obviously before once again striking the ground at his side and looking for all the worlds as if he were a child caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Shadow Monkey was here, wasn't he?" She surmises with a sigh, "And still under the assumption I've got you under some sort of spell."

"No matter how many times I tell him differently he just won't listen." He growls and drops his staff into his lap. His idle fingers beginning to tear somewhat rather viciously at the poor tufts of grass beneath him.

"Hmmm, that must be frustrating," She quips, earning herself a scowl, "Though I suppose he isn't exactly wrong now is he."

"What?" Monkey's brow furrows almost comically in objection. "Of course he's wrong."

"That crown of yours binds us together, Monkey," She reminds him with a pointed glance up at the golden circlet upon his brow, "Or at least you to me, so in that regard he does have a point-"

"I'm not here because of some magic headband, Trip." He scoffs in disgust at the very suggestion.

"Then why are you here?" She replies curiously, "Considering not so very long ago you proclaimed quite adamantly to only taking orders from the Gods and-"

"-If I thought it was a good idea, yea, yea, yea," He rolls his eyes at her teasing smirk, "But things change, alright? People change. I-"

He releases a breath he'd clearly not realised he'd been holding, his features softening as he looks to her almost pleadingly, "I've changed."

"I know." She agrees, a gentle smile curling her lips, "I know you have."

"And you were right too, of course," He admits quietly, "All those months ago when we first met, I did make a choice. One I'll never regret. And that, that is why I'm here."

"Because of me." She feels her cheeks flush under his weighted gaze.

"I will always choose you, Trip," He murmurs, almost fearful of just what it is to admit such a thing, "And because of that Shadow Monkey will stop at nothing to be rid of you."

She nods a quiet agreement, her brow furrowed, deep in thought.

"He doesn't understand a damn thing about anything," He hisses, "Not about me or this quest, about us and what we have. I mean how could he when I hardly know myself."

She startles at that, her expression wounded as she looks to him in question. His eyes widening in sudden realisation and he growls. "Urgh, that's not what I meant."

"Oh, so what did you mean then?" She prompts, unsure if she wants to hear what he has to say lest it cause the slight pain in her chest that suddenly flickered to life at his words to blossom into a full-blown ache.

"I just meant that we're different, you and me," He murmurs quietly, almost shy which catches her off guard long before his actual words register, "What we have, it's not- well it's not the same as the others, is it?"

"The others?" She replies just a quietly. "You mean because of the crown?"

"No, not because of the crown," He snaps, "But because I-"

He grits his teeth when what he feels clearly overwhelms his ability to express it.

"Look, when I was trapped in that mountain, before that even, I had nothing." He tells her with conviction when he's composed himself enough to continue.

"No purpose, no people, no home. No hope," A suddenly bemused smile begins to split his face, "But then there was you."

"That's nice of you to say Monkey, but I'm nobody," She raises a somewhat dubious brow in response, "Quite literally, no one at all worth a da-"

"That's not true," He breathes and shakes his head, "Not to me."

She swallows over the sudden lump in her throat, "You know we're friend's, Monkey, you don't have to say-"

"I mean it, Trip," He replies with conviction, "Every word of it, I swear."

She has no response to that.

"Look I know that I'm probably the most egotistical, vain and self-serving creature you've ever met," He admits, ignoring her little snort of agreement, "But I'll do better. I want to be better."

"You don't have to change anything for anyone, Monkey King," She objects, "Let alone me."

"I know that," He agrees with a scoff, "But to want to be something more than what I am? To want to become what my Master had always hoped I'd be. That's all down to you. You made me better, Trip."

"Better?" Her expression suddenly seems lost, "But I did nothing-"

"You've done everything," He stops her with a shake of his head, "You've shown me kindness and understanding. Offered me friendship and comfort though I barely deserved it."

"You are fierce and loyal, and by far the bravest soul I know even when faced with terrifying odds." He whispers in awe, "But most of all though, is that you care."

He pauses and swallows almost unable to say the words aloud.

"No one in my entire life has cared about me, or for me, even half as much as you," He admits quietly, "And I'll be damned if I let some shadow of the man I used to be take you away from me."

She offers him a watery smile as she nods.

"I'd be lost without you, Trip, and that's the truth," He returns her smile with a small one of his own, "Or at the very least, likely still stuck in that gods forsaken mountain."

"You and me both." She murmurs softly in acknowledgement. A comfortable silence stretching on between them until a sudden yawn splits her face and he nods towards her bedroll.

"Go on, little Monk, you should get some sleep."

"I'm not a monk." She reminds him with a somewhat long-suffering glance as she shifts about and makes herself comfortable.

"You'll always be my little monk, Trip." He smirks as she scowls up at him.

"I'm not that little either you know."

"What, are you kidding me?" He scoffs, brow raised somewhat incredulously, "You're literally tiny compared to-"

"Urgh, shut up, Monkey."

"What?" He snickers, "It's true."

"Yea? Well how'd you like a migraine before bed, oh great sage equal of my foot-"

He captures her fingers halfway to her lips, his longer digits curling around her smaller ones and trapping them in the space between them.

"You know, on second thought's you do seem a little taller now than when we first met."

"Hmmm, that's what I thought." She huffs, her somewhat victorious smirk soon falling away as she glances across the fire at their slumbering companions.

"Do you think maybe Gaxin's right?" She asks, "Can we really use the Scroll of Creation to destroy Shadow Monkey?"

"Honestly, I can't say," He admits with a sigh, "But for both our sake lets certainly hope so."

"We'll get through this, Monkey." She pleads and squeezes the hand still held in her own, "We have to."

"I know," He nods an agreement and offers her a small smile, "Get some sleep now, Tripitaka."

"You should too," She replies, "The Scroll of Knowledge puts the Burning Sands a good day's walk from here and I don't want to have to put up with another one of your foul moods the whole way because you're-"

"I'll be fine to keep watch for a little longer." He scowls but returns the pressure on her hand before rearranging her blankets to his satisfaction, "Don't worry 'bout me, Trip, I'll be fine."

"But I do, Monkey. Constantly." She huffs when he smirks far too knowingly for her liking.

"Also, you're an idiot if you think for one second that I'd let anyone take you away from me either."

He stares at her for the longest time when he can hardly believe his own ears. She in turn gazing back at him until the truth of what has steadily been growing between them from the beginning becomes far too obvious to ignore anymore.

"So, we're agreed then," Monkey murmurs finally, "By any means necessary, Shadow Monkey must be stopped."

"What other options do we have?" She replies with a sombre nod, an ominous shiver crawling up her spine.

"I'll fix this." He tells her just as seriously as the last time he said those very same words.

"I know," She assures him with a small smile as she curls into her quilts. "I have faith in you."

"Even when I'm an annoying ass all the time?"

"Most especially then." She agrees with a sleepy snicker.

"Goodnight, Trip."

"G'night, Monkey King," She mumbles, "And stop worrying, will you. Nothing you could ever do or say would make me love you any less."

Tripitaka is well and truly asleep by the time he finally regains the ability to breath, let alone speak. His fingers hesitantly reaching out to gently skim her brow, her now oddly delicate features lax in sleep and he thinks then that quite possibly, she is the most beautiful sight he's beheld in all his centuries of life to date.

"Huh," He chortles softly, "And just like that five-hundred years trapped in a mountain suddenly seems worth every second."

His resolve steels itself in that moment as he once again rearranges the blankets around her and sits back to resume his guard. His knuckles turning white as they tighten around his staff and he sneers at whatever might be staring back at him from the depths of the shadows. The long wait until morning tugging at his eyelids until finally he can keep them open not a moment longer and he dreams. Dreams of her and him and an impossible choice he's only more than willing to make again even though it breaks both their hearts.

"No, Monkey, you can't."

"I leave you my story. Promise to tell it well."

"No, I won't."

"I'm proud of you, Tripitaka." …I will always choose you.

**Author's Note:**

> GODS DAMN IT THE FEELS!
> 
> Ah but at least that satisfied an annoying little plot bunny. But dang it if they aren't multiplying already XD
> 
> Reviews = Love. Or Hate, I'm not fussed. Creative Criticism is always welcome.
> 
> And remember, if there's something you'd like to see added to this, admittedly very small as yet fandom, just let me know and I'll see what I can do to help add to it.
> 
> Much love to you all. T85


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